theatre review tagged posts

BIRD is an extremely bold play with excellent cast performances

BIRD, the winner of a Judges award in the 2013 Bruntwood Prize for playwriting, premiered at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre last night. Welsh writer Katherine Chandler brings us the story of Ava and Tash, two best friends fighting their way through the care system with only each other as support.

Ava (Georgia Henshaw), about to turn sixteen on the cusp of adulthood and about to become homeless, after three years of seperati...

Compelling, thoughtful and theatrically inventive, THE NIGHT WATCH is a story of illicit love and everyday heroism

Sarah Waters’ captivating novel THE NIGHT WATCH has been adapted for the stage for the first time in a fantastic new production by the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Set in the late 1940s, THE NIGHT WATCH follows the stories of five people recovering from the chaos of war...

GRAEME OF THRONES is a bonkers but brilliant parody of George RR Martin’s epic novels

Direct from sold out shows in London’s West End, GRAEME OF THRONES warped incarnation of Westeros heads to Salford’s The Lowry this week for a unique theatrical journey through the Seven Kingdoms.

Based on the international phenomenon Game Of Thrones, GRAEME OF THRONES tells the story of avid ‘Thrones’ fan Graeme who wants to recreate his favourite fantasy saga on stage...

‘The Smiths outside Salford Lads Club’. Image courtesy of Stephen Wright.

Despite its initial promise, 30 DAYS OF THE SMITHS fails to transfer from page to stage

30 DAYS OF THE SMITHS makes its world premiere as part of WEEK 53 at The Lowry this week, with a special performance at THE DOCK LAUNCH NIGHT.

Described a new art ‘sound installation’, 30 DAYS OF THE SMITHS interweaves the music and lyrics of British guitar group THE SMITHS with visual imagery and electronic music by UK sound artis...

From fake marriages to scam contracts, STAR BOY PRODUCTIONS examine the psyche of African migrants in Europe

To mark the launch night of the newly opened THE DOCK space, STAR BOY PRODUCTIONS perform the first of two productions for WEEK 53 at The Lowry.

Created by Etuwe Bright Junior, Aloys Kwaakum and Lateef Babatunde of Star Boy Collective, STAR BOY PRODUCTIONS attempts to examine the psyche of African migrants in Europe, poking fun at the clandestine survival tactics they resort to in order ...

Pixie Lott as Holly Golightly in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S. Image Credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes

Slick and stylish, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S shines in some areas and disappoints in others

More than 50 years after the release of the iconic film, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S is given a new lease of life in a brand-new stage production starring the pop princess Pixie Lott.

Based on the classic novella by Truman Capote, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S tells the story of Holly Golightly (Lott), a young New York socialit...

Philip Whitchurch (Earl of Gloucester) & Don Warrington (King Lear) in KING LEAR.  © Jonathan Keenan

Hard-hitting, savage and incredibly intense, Talawa’s production of KING LEAR is a brutal and bloody tale of a family tearing each other apart

Following their groundbreaking production of Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS in 2013, Talawa Theatre Company and Artistic Director Michael Buffong return to the Royal Exchange with a new version of William Shakespeare’s KING LEAR.

The classic tragedy t...

THE HERBAL BED is an intelligent piece of theatre, full of drama, debate and old-fashioned virtues

To coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Peter Whelan’s gripping 1996 play THE HERBAL BED has been revived in a new production directed by Royal & Derngate Artistic Director James Dacre.

Inspired by the real-life scandal involving William Shakespeare’s daughter, THE HERBAL BED tells the fictitious story of Susanna Hall, Shakespeare’s eldest daughter who is publicly accused ...

Sharp, slick and silly, DICK TRACY is a fast-paced, slapstick romp that will have you crying with laughter

Director John Nicholson teams up once again with the award-winning Le Navet Bete to present DICK TRACY, a highly energy, slightly bonkers, physical comedy about the world-famous detective.

Based loosely on the comic book character of the 1930s, DICK TRACY follows the crime fighter and all round good guy as he attempts to stay one-step ahead of the criminals and clean up the city...

Barry Rutter and Becky Hindley in Northern Broadsides’ THE MERRY WIVES. Image Credit: Nobby Clark ©

Lively, inventive and wickedly funny, Northern Broadsides’ production of THE MERRY WIVES is a full-on farce that’s sure to entertain

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR may not have been one of Shakespeare’s favourite plays but it certainly appears to be one of Barry Rutter’s...